CoSE is committed to offering students an academic experience of "thinking, learning and doing." The best way to provide this experience is through involving students in research and the solution of real world problems. Thus, teaching and research are mutually supportive and one cannot excel without the other. Faculty and students conduct research together in topics spanning a broad range of theoretical and applied topics on projects supported by a variety of funding sources, including foundations, companies, state and local governments and a broad range of federal funding agencies.

CoSE is committed to serve a student population that reflects the diversity of the region and includes many international students. The College supports a number of programs designed to encourage and support all students to pursue careers in science and engineering. The College is committed support and retain a diverse group of faculty, staff, and students, both domestic and international.

College of Science & Engineering Stories

The EOS Center is still the only marine science laboratory dedicated to research and scholarship located on San Francisco Bay, bringing together biologists, chemists, geographers and oceanographers under the same roof. That interdisciplinary approach is crucial when studying complex coastal and ocean ecosystems.

SF State’s planetarium is easy to miss if you don’t know it’s there. But for more than four decades, it’s been a launchpad for careers in astronomy and science education and a catalyst for learning about space.

San Francisco State University Professor of Biology Leticia Márquez-Magaña says science is facing a crisis. When it comes to chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, the people with the worst outcomes — minority communities — are often left out of research profiles. “That’s bad science,” she says. The problem is further compounded when the people most interested in studying minority health are other minorities, and they’re underrepresented in the field, she said. She and other researchers are working to change this through SF BUILD (Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity), a $17 million National Institute of Health-funded project led by SF State in partnership with University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Dr. Randall revived the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program at SF State. WISE provides opportunities for women in STEM fields at SF State to learn from and support one another through presentations, workshops, and the establishment of mentoring communities.